It’s a typical government problem: You’ve spent billions of dollars developing an aircraft unlike any other for the express purpose of getting troops into remote areas faster than traditional helicopters can. But the result, the tilt-rotor V-22 Osprey, is so ­narrow that military ground vehicles can’t be transported with those troops. So once you’ve rushed them into position, what then?

Now Boeing, one of the Osprey’s designers, has developed a solution with a name almost as silly as the problem it solves: ­Phantom Badger. Why not just Phantom? Why not just Badger? The two together sound like bad-idea Tuesday on Nickelodeon. But Boeing and the military are serious, and the U.S. Navy recently certified the Phantom Badger for flight aboard the Osprey, offering personnel a versatile, rugged option for ground transport. Previously, variations on the civilian-ATV theme were the only vehicles that fit in the Osprey, but their modest cargo and personnel capacity limited their usefulness. The Phantom Badger, on the other hand, can carry 3350 pounds or tow 4000.

Courtesy of Boeing Phantom Works

At only 60 inches wide, the PB is seven inches narrower than a Honda Fit, allowing it to slip easily into the V-22’s cargo hold. It uses the same 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6 as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500. Here, the six swills either diesel or the JP-8 jet fuel that is plentiful on military bases and produces the same 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque as it does in civilian duty. The Phantom Badger weighs in at just under 8000 pounds; thanks to its four-wheel steering, it has an impressive turning circle of only 24 feet—11 feet tighter than even a Mini Cooper S’s.

It has mounts for both a .50-caliber machine gun and a 40-mm grenade launcher, but its size and open-air construction mean it’s more of an original Jeep than an MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle). With a top speed of 80 mph on pavement and the ability to ford up to three feet of water, the Phantom Badger can go almost anywhere and get there quickly—just like the Osprey. But once the Badger arrives, the troops aboard it will actually be where they need to be.

Pack it Up, Pack it in

The Phantom Badger is designed to travel aboard the Osprey, but Boeing is happy to pack them into any of its cargo aircraft.

What do you get when you cross an Osprey with a Badger?

Advanced Tactics recently announced the first successful flight test of its Black Knight Transformer, a hybrid truck/helicopter designed for military use. Four rotors on each side fold in for driving on narrow streets and can tilt forward like those on the Osprey for high-speed flight. With the ability to be piloted either onboard or remotely, the Black Knight could handle tasks currently assigned to the Osprey and Phantom Badger.